Does "feed 2% of body weight in roughage a day" go out the window in winter?

[Cobcuddler]

My mare always seems to be hungry now we're in winter, and I wonder if I should be giving her hay willy nilly, as much as she wants to eat of it unless she starts putting on weight.

She is a good doer and always has a fairly voracious appetite anyway (if I smelled like an apple I would be concerned for my own safety! ) but she's not usually as desperate for food as she seems to be presently. At the moment, she is in at 4ish at night and out 8amish during the day in a one acre paddock between two of them and there is still grass there for them to pick at, although not a huge amount.

According to her weight, she should have about 10kg forage a day, so she has 8kg of hay in her stable over night and the remaining 2kg I put out in the field for her (plus the same for her field mate. I suspect my mare gets more hay than her field mate, out of this arrangement), plus she has whatever grass she can find on top.

In the evenings when I get her in, she nearly mows me down in her eagerness to get to her stable and start tucking into her hay nets and then in the morning she seems to be starving hungry too.

Should I ignore the 2% guide for the moment (she is a bit overweight at the mo) and give her more hay to keep her happy? She was accidentally given 13kg of hay overnight the other night and it had all gone by morning but I wonder if I gave her 50kg, she'd still scoff the lot.

Any other owners of good doers able to offer me some advice please?

 

[Cortez]

What height/weight is she? If she's a bit overweight she should actually be getting 1.5% of her TARGET (i.e. correct) weight. It actually natural for horses to lose weight (and therefore, I would imagine, feel a bit peckish) over winter. I'd suggest hardening your heart and don't up the feed until she starts to lose.

 

[Pearlsasinger]

I have one of those horses who only has to smell a calorie to put on weight. In addtition to her weighed haylage ration, she has 2 trugs of plain oat straw chaff (honeychop). Because she is at home she gets 1/2 her haylage when she comes in, a trug of chaff about 8.00pm and then the remaining haylage and chaff at midnight. Very occasionally she has a little chaff left in the morning. She also has a Himalayan mineral lick available, which she loves.

 

[katie_southwest]

Id be interested in answers to this also.
My mare is also a good doer and Im putting some hay out in the field for her but she practically runs me over trying to get to her feed in the evening.

I can tell they are genuinely hungry now as in the summer they arent so bothered at all.
But while theres still anything to pick at in the field Im reluctant to put too much hay out as she is such a good doer.

 

[Polos Mum]

I think if they still need to loose weight (ie are currently over weight) then you probably should stick to your guns and try and get the weight off now while you have the chance (It'll be much more difficult to get weight off in the spring!!)
Can you feed more hay but soaked so lower calories? or feed straw?

If they are a good weight now and don't put weight on with more hay then I'm not sure there is much problem with that - I feed mine ad lib in cold weather as the seem to burn it off.

 

[Queenbee]

Do you know, I'm really not sure, it's something that's been on my mind recently, I feed two small haynets which are packed full and small holed, but I feed from a big bale, and its always harder to pack it in than in comparison to using cakes of small bale hay. I really want to get myself some scales on amazon and I'm making a large hay bag out of canvas with just a small hole at the bottom which is going to be covered with double thickness small holed net to slow his eaTing down, but I'm really not sure what weight I feed him and since its all gone in the morning I do worry, even though he is holding his weight.

 

[merry mischief]

I feed a 1.5% hay ration plus ad lib barley straw which is helping maintain a good weight in my very good doo-er cob and means he ways has forage but isn't ballooning.
MM

 

[Fimbacob]

Perhaps double netting, and tie haynets up around the paddock so she takes longer to eat hay. I wouldnt up the amount until she loses some weight. I think the amount should be worked out as 2% of target weight unless target weight is more than 50kg different to what she is now.

 

[scewal]

I have two good doers and feed both at 1.5% of body weight.

 

[Shysmum]

Shy is getting ad-lib hay at night, and despite all my concerns about his weight, he has not put any on at all. I use elim-in-nets, to make it all last longer. By ad-lib, I mean he still has some left over in the morning.

A livery next to me used to use the scales, but the horse then ate the straw - not a bad thing I suppose, but I am amazed at how ad-lib hay has let Shy's weight settle really well.

 

[Cobcuddler]

Thank you very much for the replies everyone.

I think I'll try feeding as much as she wants for a couple of weeks like Shysmum and see how that goes, because unlimited hay is included in the rent at the yard so it would be the easiest and cheapest option!

I also use Elimanets, but I'm afraid my mare can still motor through the largest size net in 90 minutes. I've even taken to double netting the Elimanets!

If she starts to expand on unlimited hay, I'll see if I can get some oat straw to mix in with the rationed hay instead, or start giving her a trug of chaff for tea and one for breakfast, and see if that helps her feel fuller and happier.

Thanks so much for the suggestions. Coming on here is always helpful!

 

[MerrySherryRider]

Better to feed ad lib than have ulcers.

If you don't want to increase fatness, the options are:

increase exercise,
double/triple net,
soak hay and compensate with extra quantity,
or mix the hay with straw, introducing over a few days.

 

[serenityjane]

If in medium work then the 2% bodyweight should include all feed- hay, grass, hard feed and chaffs. If in light work then 1.5% of ideal weight should be sufficient (again this includes all feed). My 500kg good doers who are in light to medium work get a total of 6 kg of hay per day, the rest of their feed is made up with good quality barley straw (approx 5kg per day) and vitamins and minerals. They are in a large turnout yard with no access to grass currently but if the weather were better and they were getting grass, they would have half the ration (as in summer). There is always a little straw left in the haynets which are doubled.
With ad lib hay one of ours was 100kg heavier and had laminitis at this time of year two years ago.

 

[Pale Rider]

Because horses are trickle feeders, they should never be allowed to spend long periods of time when they are not eating. Stabled horses should never have nothing left in the morning.

Because of this, I have never bothered much with guidelines about how much they should or shouldn't have.

If a horse starts putting on weight, and its only getting hay, I up its workload, rather than restricting roughage to control its weight.

 

[Cobcuddler]

Doesn't increasing workload, increase appetite though, like it does for humans if we get more active?

 

[Pale Rider]

Doesn't increasing workload, increase appetite though, like it does for humans if we get more active?

As they are fed ad lib, I've not noticed a significant increase in appetite. To me the important thing is making sure the gut is working properly, that can't happen if they go for long periods without food in front of them.

I know some folk who will bucket feed, yet restrict hay. Its balance really I suppose.

 

[Cobcuddler]

OK thanks

 

[be positive]

Doesn't increasing workload, increase appetite though, like it does for humans if we get more active?

I find almost the opposite, when in harder work they seem to be more tired/ relaxed and spend more of their "spare" time just snoozing, I feed adlib and it is usually the ones that are bored, especially those that are on box rest that eat the most.

 

[Pale Rider]

I find almost the opposite, when in harder work they seem to be more tired/ relaxed and spend more of their "spare" time just snoozing, I feed adlib and it is usually the ones that are bored, especially those that are on box rest that eat the most.

I agree with this.

 

[Lego]

I feed my cob ad lib hay year round-he isn't in heavy work, but enough that he is holding his weight well. My theory in winter is that as long as his weight is ok he can have as much hay as he wants, then any fibre based bucket feed is for supplements and any extra energy. He currently has an 8kg net overnight and there are a few mouthfuls left in the morning.

I've found with him and my previous cob that when their forage was restricted, they stuffed their faces with anything they could find, whereas with ad lib, they aren't as greedy and their weight is better and more stable...

 

[Gucci_b]

I feed hay in the field and the stable completely ab-lib in the winter months, I'd rather see some left over hay than them go hungry and very board

 

[Lotty]

My mare is a good doer and I have to watch her weight like a hawk, I body condition score her and weigh tape her every 2 weeks. I exercise her for 1-2 hours every day, she is turned out muzzled for 5 hours and I weigh and soak her hay. For the past couple of years I have been feeding her 1.5% of her bodyweight, which seems to suit her fine.

 

[Littlelegs]

I just feed ad-lib, ime for most more exercise is the key. One acre doesn't provide much in the way of roaming, especially in 8 hrs, so I'd up the workload. My mare can cram food in with the best of them, but even she has a limit. I also use late cut hay, much better for fatties. Or last years if you can get some none dusty stuff. Only time my mare has truly gorged was on box rest, through boredom. Or

 

[Littlelegs]

Stupid phone. Or if she's escaped & its stolen, & therefore essential to pig out.